60+ shakes....

[kloadman97]

I've seen this chewed over many times, but maybe I am not car savy enough to pick out what I needed, or maybe it wasn't there.

Got the typical shakes on a 1997 XLT. Last weekend on a road trip they really seemed to come and go, without a lot of rhyme or reason, even on what looked like pretty good highways. I've seen some folks say they often disappear as you get above 70, but as I had my cruise set between 75-80 and was still having issues that one didn't quite fit.

I got my tires balanced and rotated and the front end aligned last fall, and while it got better, it didn't go away entirely. As I plan on taking it on a major road trip (from Ohio to the Outer Banks and back) this June, I was hoping to deal with an issue like that before I went, rather than finding out I needed to do this or that before I left.

A friend suggested replacing the current drive shaft in favor of a new, and perhaps aluminum one. He had suggested a U-Joint replacement a while back, and said replacing the drive shaft would take care of that and should improve the ride in general. He said if I can find an aluminum one it would be even better. I trust his opinion when it comes to my car, but would also appreciate anything you fellow Explorer buffs might have to offer that I couldn't decipher. My friend will fix it for pizza and beer, so its not like he is trying to talk me into something to make money for himself.

thanks for your help....

 

[Blee1099]

It could be a number of things and a few things could help improve it like aftermarket parts like EE sway bars. I would look at your ball joints to see if they are worn out..

 

[etc]

I changed upper and lower balljoints/outer tie rods/u joints on the drive shaft (2) / and added eccentric camber adjusters. Didn't fix the problem. I did all that then waited about 2 weeks for an alignment. After the alignment the shakes were gone(my home alignment yielded nearly perfectly in spec cambers, but the toe in/toe out was horrendous).

My money is on two things. 1)The camber adjuster allowed problem alignment. 2)When I took out the U-joints I found one side of each U-joint bone dry. I'm temped to say that's enough to throw the drive shaft off balance.

 

[Ford_Racing_Guy]

have you looked at the tires? maybe they are worn funny and are causing the vibrations,

maybe check all the suspension parts etc etc.

have your alignment check out as well


oh and pizza and beer are 2 of the best essentials in life

 

[VOATMJ1]

Agreed, check the tires. I had the same problem, alignment was in spec, had the tires balanced three times, with the last time me watching to make sure the balance showed 0.0, had the front end checked out completly. Come to find out, one of my tires was out of round. You culd not tell it on the balance machine, so they used some kind of scope that shoots a beam across the tire as it is spinning. I had a new tire put on (under warranty) and then road tested. Smooth as silk now, and ALL speeds.

 

[kloadman97]

well as it turns out, my drive shaft was bent. I don't recall getting into any action with my car significant enough to do damage to it, so I am guessing it was a result of something done by the previous owner. When I took it to the local shop and they tested it, the ends were within the proper limits, but the middle was bent 4 times further than allowable. $45 later it was straightened, balanced, lubed where it needed to be, and even spray painted to make it look nice and help protect against rust.

The overall ride has been improved, and I am hoping the alignment, balance, rotation, and perhaps even two new tires later this week will make the ride smooth as silk, or as good as can be expected without doing any sort of significant modifications.